But even if beauty is more than skin deep, its dermal component can still know the harshness of winter no matter how fabulous the inner component is feeling.  Which is why Cathy is so excited to be offering some great lines of winter apparel.

One of these lines is Andes Gifts, which supplies us with fair trade knitware.  Andes Gifts products, which include hats and mittens, keep hundreds of knitters, representing over 20 knitting co-operatives and 40 family-based knitting groups, busy throughout the year.  All of its clothing is made by skilled artisans with whom the company maintains close ties.  As the company states on its website, “The most rewarding aspect of operating a Fair Trade company is seeing firsthand the impact on the lives of these artisans and their families who supply us with our unique products.”

Another supplier of knit apparel with a South American connection is emiLime Handcrafted, whose accessories are a synthesis of modern style and traditional techniques. The company’s artisan products use high-quality, natural materials such as alpaca, sheep wool, and bull horn (seriously) to create a unique, handmade look that will keep you simultaneously warm and stylin’.

“It’s great to support the arts and crafts traditions of other countries and at the same time have those traditions applied to styles that have a Western appeal,” says Cathy.

Along with warm woolen mittens, HABA is also getting in new shipments of scarves, which Cathy maintains are the quintessential “girlfriend gift” for the season.  Cathy is also excited about our apparel line from Peace Within.  The Coeur d’Alene company describes its clothing as “soft, comfortable, inspiring, and earth friendly,” and its owner Rebecca believes that “wearing positive clothing and not letting daily fears and successes rob us of who we truly are is a reminder to be who we’ve always been meant to be.”  Amen, sister.

Although it won’t do much to keep you warm, the thought of a clothing accessory made from recycled cassette tape might just put a smile on your face — which is exactly what you’ll get from Handmade Expressions.  Located in Austin, Texas, the company is a wholesaler of Fair Trade products and works with over 30 artisan groups and about 5,000 artisans in India.

What it all comes down to is that while you might not immediately think of our Health & Beauty Department as your first for fashion, just pay attention to what the beautiful people around town are sporting — and supporting — and there’s a very good chance that HABA was involved.

Click here for a YouTube video interview with Cathy Anderson

As the first gush of sea salt infused water entered my nose, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How had I come to this?”

I don’t think I’d heard the words “neti pot” until I started working at the Co-op a year ago.  I do remember asking Cathy Anderson, our Health & Beauty (HABA) manager, why we carried oil lamps in her department.  I had even rubbed one once or twice…but no genie.  I remember Cathy’s patient explanation, and the point at which it seemed to take a turn for the bizarre.  “You do WHAT with it?,” I incredulously gasped.

To be honest, I had pretty much chalked up neti pot use as a form of extreme hygiene practiced by the sort of people who would likely engage you in cocktail conversation about colonics.  I certainly couldn’t argue the theoretical benefits of the procedure as I understood it, but nasal water boarding hardly seemed like the sort of activity that a normal person would willingly subject himself to.  That was before a recent doctor’s visit.

I had gone to the doctor for what I mistakenly believed might be a respiratory infection, only to discover that the root of my problem was farther to the north.  He wrote down three things he wanted me to try, which included the cessation of a medication I was currently taking, an over the counter allergy product, and, you guessed it…a neti pot.

With the help of Cathy’s staff, I picked out a clay neti pot with a lovely blue glaze that took me back to my college ceramics days.  If nothing else, I reasoned, I could plant a flower in it.  My neti pot was made by Baraka (not the President) who has been making neti pots since 1996, along with essential oil decongestants, infused salt rinses, and sinus care kits.  God bless capitalism.  The company was founded by Sue Libby, a self-described “former sinus sufferer” whose very first neti pot experience inspired her to become a nasal entrepreneur.  The following excerpt is lifted from the “About” section of the Baraka website (www.sinussupport.com) in which Sue recounts:

I began having sinus congestion when I moved to Sonoma County, California in 1996. Nothing relieved the nasal pressure, and I was increasingly more miserable at night. As luck would have it, my mother mailed me a neti pot. For weeks the tiny “teapot” sat in my bathroom. Finally in desperation, I tried it. After one rinse I got such relief I began telling everyone. That’s when my entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and I decided I could make a better ceramic neti pot right here in California.

Man, I love California.

Along with a lot of other useful information about neti pots and sinus health, Baraka’s website includes a video “how to” on the use of the neti pot.  I strongly encourage folks to watch this video before their “first time.”  I have to admit that the video may seem a bit voyeuristic if you find images of women pouring warm water with French Atlantic Grey Sea Salt up their nose to be curiously arousing.  Personally, it’s not my thing, but who am I to judge?

By the way, the use of the French Atlantic Grey Sea Salt is a story in itself.  It’s a hand harvested, stone ground sea salt from the environmentally protected Isle of Noirmoutier in Brittany, France.  While the salt we typically consume is stripped of trace minerals and is 99% sodium chloride, the unrefined salt sold by Baraka contains minerals that break down the mucous in your sinuses, which in a pathological sense can be likened to a petri dish heated to 98.6 degrees and filled with a snot culture — in other words, a perfect environment for all sorts of nastiness.  The Baraka website offers a more genteel explanation of the benefits of, as I like to call it, “pot use”:

Using a neti pot:

1. Relieves pain, pressure and congestion by liquefying the excess mucous in your nasal passages and flushing it out.
2. Keeps the cilia (basically, tiny hairs) in your nasal passages moving so they flush out bacteria, allergens and other irritants. Congested or dry sinuses are a breeding ground for infection.

I honestly thought that using a neti pot would take more getting used to than it has in actual practice.  The two key things to remember are to breathe calmly through your mouth during the procedure and find the optimal head tilt angle to get the warm salt water infusion to course through your sinuses and out the “exit nostril” (my term, not Baraka’s).  As the Baraka neti pot instructions explain, you can vary the amount of salt in the solution according to need, but the recommended amount is a heaping half teaspoon.  At the moment, I’m on a more aggressive regimen of a full heaping teaspoon and two to three applications per day.

My first neti, as I like to call it, made a huge impression.  I’m chronically snuffy (not to throw around complicated medical terminology or anything), and that night following my pre-bedtime “nasal douche” marked one of the more restful sleeps I’d enjoyed in quite awhile.  It’s amazing how much the ability to breathe freely can add to one’s comfort.  I’ve also been following up my neti sessions with the use of Baraka Sinus Rejuvenation Oil, which involves a small application of a mix of essential oils at the base of your nostrils that help “open up” the nasal passages for greater congestive relief.  Plus, it has the added benefit of making your nose smell really good!  (Note: I’m keeping my neti pot in the shower, which puts it readily at hand after all that hot water has moisturized your sinuses, and you don’t have to be so fastidious about aiming your nasal stream, as it were (I hope nobody is eating lunch while reading this, by the way).

The bottom line to my neti post experience: I’m hooked.  And I know I’m in good company.  Within minutes of posting a recent Facebook photo of my neti pot, I received the following comments from our Co-op community:

I work in the health field, therefore I get lots of colds that turn into sinus problems. Or allergies in the summer. By flushing, I’m able to flush the the sinus that I don’t get with tissues. Yeah, at first it was disgusting, but once I got use to it, I can’t live with out it. Just have to take the leap and try. — Ashley D.

Treat it like a mini meditation. I attribute fewer sinus infections to the neti, along with quicker recovery from colds. I use it any time I’m working around lots of dust; it’s the best. — Erik K.

Love my neti as well…even given them to friends as gifts! – Lena R.

Hey, who’d like to be on Lena’s Christmas gift exchange list?

Thanks for the great feedback to all of you Co-op followers out there who have encouraged me to “take the plunge.”  I’m a better man for the experience, and I plan to make it a habit.  In fact, I’m currently contemplating getting a tattoo of a clay pot against a field of roses with the inscription, “I love  Neti” — in French, of course!  I’ll have some explaining to do to my wife.

You now know the origins of my sense of humor, as well as my lack of melanin.

Bad puns aside, it seems that my generation has finally gotten the message that however romantic the concept of being a “sun worshipper” may have been in our misguided youth, we need to take some precautions before stepping out into the sunshine — at least if we want to avoid looking like Keith Richards…or worse, developing skin cancer.

Which explains why our Health & Beauty Department (HABA) currently has an endcap dedicated entirely to products designed to protect your skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light, or at least mitigate the consequences of failing to do so.  It also explains why so many of my fellow Anglo-Saxons can be found hovering around that endcap these days.

Cathy Anderson, our HABA manager, and her staff will be happy to give you an overview of their department’s array of sun protection products.  It’s an impressive one.  The good folks in HABA like to point out that all our skin products are chemical free.  Due to concerns over the potential impacts of estrogen mimicking chemicals found in some sunscreen products, we prefer to buy only those that are mineral-based.  To prevent sun damage, most sunscreens contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  Zinc oxide, Cathy points out, remains the safest and most effective sunscreen ingredient in terms of its ability to block UVA and UVB rays.

“The problem with zinc oxide is that it is usually white, and people don’t always like the color or the feel of it — it can be a little heavy,” says Cathy.  ”Some companies are using what is called zinc clear, which has ‘nano particles’ — extremely small zinc particles that can actually enter your blood stream.  We don’t know what the long term effects of these might be.”

Our most popular brand of sunscreen is Badger, which consistently earns number 1 ratings from the Environmental Working Group website.  Another brand we have a hard time keeping in stock is Burn Out, whose Eco-Sensitive Clean and Clear brand is rated SPF 32, and as the name suggests, goes on clean and clear with no chalky whitening, since they use micronized zinc and titanium dioxide — particles that are small enough to go on “clear”, without the potential risks of nano particle-based sunscreens.

HABA makes sure to keep testers on hand for everything we sell so that people can try them, and our HABA employees try them as well so they can share their own experiences with our customers.

Hats from the San Diego Hat Co.

For those lapses in judgment that result  in too much sun, we carry aloe vera, which is wonderful for healing burns.  We also have calendula oil from Bodyceuticals out of Kirkland, Washington.  Calendula oil is an amazing, multi-purpose skin emulsion made from all vegan, certified organic calendula flowers, which yield an oil that is rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids and natural enzymes that promote skin renewal.  We have a number of employees who make it a point to visit the Bodyceuticals tester whenever they step back into the store from outside.

For pure refreshment on a hot summer day, Cathy suggests that you keep a spray bottle of rose water in the fridge for a cooling and moisturizing spritz, and she and her staff can also arm you with some great all-natural bug sprays to protect you from those other summer nemeses: things that bite. For wasp bites or bee stings, slather on some Clay First Aid, which Cathy also recommends along with calamine lotion for poison ivy.

For sun protection with style, Cathy has one final recommendation that is tried and true.  It’s called a hat.

Should you be tempted to think, “Oh my, another ‘New Age’ health gimmick,” consider this: Over 4,000 years ago, Australian Aborigines began using Emu oil for healing and pain relief. After a hunt, they would wrap their elders in the skin of the Emu bird to lessen their aches.

It was not until the mid-1800s, however, that Emu oil began to be used outside of Australia and New Zealand. European explorers extolling its virtues returned to their native countries bearing the oil as a gift.  In the mid-1980s, ranchers in the U.S. began to raise Emus for their meat and by-products. By the mid-1990s, Emu oil began being used by athletic trainers in professional football and basketball, and by burn centers worldwide to heal skin tissue and reduce scarring.

Julie Beaman Stauts

Emulate’s story begins with its founder and president, Julie Beaman Stauts, whose sister had used Emu oil for pain relief when she was recovering from surgery. Within minutes after applying the oil, her pain disappeared for hours. As she recovered, the oil accelerated her healing, reduced swelling and causing the scar to fade.  Amazed by her sister’s experience, Julie started using Emu oil for arthritis in her back, and hasn’t stopped using it since.

Quoting from Emulate’s website, “Emu oil is derived from the fat of the Emu. The penetrating, skin softening, and anti-inflammatory properties of Emu oil are due to its high levels of Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs.  EFAs are involved in almost every body process concerned with growth, vitality and nervous system functions. EFAs provide the body with the raw materials involved in blood pressure, blood clotting, and temperature control processes. EFAs also play a critical role in cellular oxidation, which produces the energy required for all biological processes.”

To learn more about Emu oil and its properties, we recommend you take a look at the information on Emulate’s site.  What may be more compelling, however, are the testimonials from Emu oil users, including Doug Atkinson, a team trainer with the National Basketball Association for 30 years who learned about the anti-inflammatory properties of Emu oil in 1992. Atkinson shares a story about one of the Dallas Mavericks basketball players who had undergone surgery on both knees, and after two years in rehabilitation was still unable to play because of swelling and inflammation.  “Within six weeks after using Emu oil, the inflammation and swelling was gone and he was able to practice and play without limitation,” said Atkinson, who has since retired and now owns a wellness firm that markets Emu-based products.

In addition to its health-related products, Emulate’s Emu oil product line also offers a facial care system that includes cleanser, skin toner, moisturizer, and even an Anti-Aging Elixir with Apple Stem Cells.  One of the favorites of our Health & Beauty Department, by the way, is the company’s natural insect repellent.

If you’re interested in a product that has found increasing acceptance among chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage and physical therapists for reducing inflammation in muscles and joints, and with consumers looking for ways to erase the ravages of time and the elements on their skin, we hope you’ll visit with Julie Beaman Stauts at our Member Appreciation Party on June 8, and at a special demo taking place at our store on June 10 from 11 am to 5 pm.  You just might be inspired to “emulate” her experience with Emu oil.

You’ll find Emulate Emu oil products in the Boise Co-op’s Health & Beauty Department

Gabriel Cosmetics was conceived and developed by Gabriel DeSantino, CEO and founder of Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc. Inspiration for the line was drawn from generations of family tradition and knowledge of the healing properties of the sea.

Our Health & Beauty Department’s long standing mantra has been, “Beauty starts from within”. It’s no surprise, then, that the companies we buy from adopt a similar attitude toward their products – including cosmetics.

If you think of cosmetics simply as a “cover up”, you’ll miss the reason our Gabriel Cosmetics brand is so popular. What makes them different from other seemingly similar products on the market is that they are made from 100% natural ingredients. No synthetic chemicals or animal by-products are utilized, and no testing is ever done on animals. These environmentally safe products contain a higher percentage of active ingredients than any other similar products.

“We’ve carried the Gabriel line for about three years now, and our customers love the products,” says Cathy Anderson, Co-op Health & Beauty Department (HABA) manager. “Their mascara is our best selling mascara, and their concealers are very popular as well — they don’t smear, they cover what you want to cover and enhance what you want to enhance. I wear them, and I think they are really wonderful. Their classic line is well balanced, with good colors.”

Gabriel Cosmetics was conceived and developed by Gabriel DeSantino, CEO and founder of Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc. Inspiration for the line was drawn from generations of family tradition and knowledge of the healing properties of the sea. As a child, Gabriel had observed his grandmother making homeopathic cosmetics from seaweed, kelp and herbs that he had helped her gather at her home by the ocean in Mexico. As a naturopath and herbalist, his grandmother was knowledgeable of the many healing and revitalizing properties of ocean plant life. As Gabriel grew older and entered the field of beauty, he became even more aware of how young and unlined her skin remained.

His grandmother passed on her wisdom of the healing benefits of the sea to Gabriel. He learned how the right combination of sea-derived botanicals not only revitalize the skin and keep it looking younger, but also reduce stress and help balance and remineralize the body in a natural and pleasant manner. This knowledge spurred his research, further leading him to a European biochemist with 30 years experience in developing botanical formulations.

The Gabriel skincare line has been under extensive development since 1991. All formulations have been stringently tested on a panel of over 150 people comprised of all skin types, male and female, all ages, nationalities, and professions. The results of this testing were spectacular, as no contraindicative or adverse skin reactions were observed on any of the subjects. On the contrary, noticeable improvements were noted after only a few days use.

In addition to its Gabriel classic line, the company also markets its ZuZu brand for younger cosmetic users, with, as Cathy puts it, “More shimmer and more contemporary colors, with the same oil-free moisturizing foundation that is so important to protecting younger skin.”

A trip to the company’s website will reveal not only a complete listing of their products, but some wonderful testimonials as well, including this one from January 2011 that echoes how so many of our HABA customers feel about Gabriel Cosmetics:

I discovered Gabriel Cosmetics’ ZUZU Luxe Oil-Free Liquid Foundation (L-14) about one year ago, having never before seen any foundations, even the ones that are highly praised to be “natural and/or organic”, with such a short list of ingredients. For me, what goes for food labels, also goes for cosmetics labels: less is (always) more! I am elated to report that since using the oil-free liquid foundation, my face seems to have decided not to age any more, adapting beautifully to the foundation’s velvety texture. My absolute favorites are also ZUZU Luxe’s Gluten & Lead Free lipsticks – dito with an amazingly short, confidence-infusing list of ingredients. I love their “Vino De Amor”, “Starlet”, and “Indulgence” colors… My lips have never felt so nurtured. They never dry out wearing ZUZU, unlike with other lipsticks, even “natural” ones. Gabriel Cosmetics are my beloved keepers, and I hope these wonderful, earth and people-hugging products will always be around! Dankeschoen, Gabriel!

-Sylvia

One way that Cathy Anderson, the manager of Health & Beauty (we call it HABA), and her staff want to make you feel good is with their department’s apparel lines.

Cathy Anderson shows off a Synergy jacket. Eco meets cool.

Tucked into an intimate little southwest corner of our store sits the department that makes no distinction between health and beauty.  After all, beauty is how you feel inside — and being well is the key to feeling good.

Talk about timeless aphorisms, right?

One way that Cathy Anderson, the manager of Health & Beauty (we call it HABA), and her staff want to make you feel good is with their department’s apparel lines.  We’ve got some cool ones, and Cathy, or any member of her staff, will be happy to give you the apparel tour of the Boise Co-op.

You might want to begin at the beginning — which in the case of HABA apparel is our sleep ware from Jonano — a clothing company using organically grown fibers, including cotton, hemp, and “EcoKashmere”.  Some interesting facts about hemp clothing from the Jonano website:

• Hemp is the original choice for organic clothing, with references to its use in organic clothing and textiles for over 12.000 years.
• Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp, and hemp was grown by the early American settlers. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.
• Hemp denim was the chosen fabric for the first pair of Levi’s jeans. Hemp natural fibers are longer, stronger, more absorbent and more mildew-resistant than cotton. Organic clothing made of at least 50% hemp block the sun’s UV rays more effectively than other fabrics.

The Jonano line at the Co-op also includes skirts, tops, and leggings.

It’s still chilly outside, so you may want to take advantage of our 25 percent off sale on Synergy clothing.  Synergy makes clothing that combines sustainability with modern yet timeless design.  Its founder, Kate Fisher, strives to “make clothing that looks good, while being gentle on the Earth. We predominantly work with certified organic cotton from India that is dyed with low impact dyes. Our clothing is hand made in Nepal according to fair trade practices, verified by our long-term relationships with our manufacturers and our frequent trips to Nepal. Each season we look for ways to minimize our footprint as a business, in both the ways our clothing is made and in our daily operations.”

Also 25 percent off for at least as long as it takes the tulips to bloom is all of HABA’s knit ware.  And when it comes to keeping your appendages toasty, you should also check out our line of RocknSocks, which are knit in the USofA from regenerated cotton blends gathered from the cutting room floors of the garment industry.  And to keep your feet dry and stylish, we have some colorful designer Wellies that would be equally at home spreading PooPeas in the planter boxes or strolling around BoDo.

Click here for a video of Cathy Anderson talking about District 19

A local clothing maker that Cathy is especially fond of is District 19 — named for the North End’s legislative district number.  District 19 founder and owner Juliana is a flamenco dancer and seamstress who has created an apparel design that functions as either a skirt or a dress, depending on mood or mercury.  In the summer she wears her hand-appliqued creation as a dress, then converts it to a skirt when she goes into her class to get sweaty.  It transforms back to a dress when she is done.

For that finishing touch, we always have plenty of scarves to choose from.  ”We’ve sold hundreds of them over the years,” says Cathy.

Sure, you may not automatically think of Boise Co-op as a clothing boutique, but spend a little time in Cathy’s world and you’ll soon appreciate what the other “A” in HABA stands for.

Here are the brands we’re featuring:

• Hot Knot’s and Tara ~ Fair trade from Nepal
• Andes Gift’s ~ Fair trade Alpaca from Nepal/India
• Emiline ~ Fair Trade Women’s Cooperative from Peru
• Artisana ~ Fair Trade from Nepal
• Twice Toastie ~ Local  cashmere and wool

Oh…for the bright copper kettles and schnitzel with noodles, I’d try our Housewares and Deli departments.

Burt’s Bees has earned tremendous loyalty from our customers over the years for a number of reasons, starting with the love folks have for their classic lip balm, deodorant, and insect repellant products.  Burt’s Bees, more than almost any other company we can think of, has been instrumental in introducing mainstream Americans to the benefits of “natural” products.

The company’s commitment to creating products from ingredients “harvested from nature” is front and center in the mission and vision of Burt’s Bees, which the company describes as making certain that all their ingredients “are the best nature has to offer: beeswax, botanical and essential oils, herbs, flowers and minerals. These safe, effective ingredients have withstood the test of time.”

With products that are paraben-free, sulfate-free (SLS-free), petrochemical-freem and phthalate-free, it should come as no surprise that parents felt very comfortable using Burt’s Bees products on their children, or that the company more recently launched its Baby Bee line of products that includes shampoos and washes, buttermilk soap, and skin cremes…as well as body oil and “belly balm” for the Mama Bee in the family.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing the line of products that took the concept of “all natural” from fringe to mainstream, visit Boise Co-op Health and Beauty Department and let us introduce you to Burt’s Bees.